Non-Traditional Trademarks
A "non-traditional" trademark refers to a unique and unconventional form of trademark that goes beyond the typical words, slogans, and logos commonly associated with branding (captured in traditional trademarks and most collective marks and certification marks). Non-traditional trademarks are unconventional and unique forms of trademarks, including trade dress, color marks, shape marks, configuration marks, position marks, sound marks, scent marks, motion marks, hologram marks, texture marks, and taste marks. These distinctive elements are used to identify and differentiate goods or services in the marketplace, providing a creative and innovative way for businesses to establish their brand identities. Non-traditional trademarks are often difficult to protect and may require substantial evidence to demonstrate that the public actually views the color, sound, shape, or scent as a trademark.
That’s a Trademark will be exploring non-traditional trademarks in future posts, but here are a few examples to tide you over until then:
· The color blue (aka Tiffany Blue®) used on boxes [1], retail catalogues [2], and bags [3] is a registered trademark owned by Tiffany.
· The sound of Homer Simpson’s “D’OH” is a registered trademark owned by Twentieth Century Fox. [4]
· The shape of a COCA-COLA® glass bottle is a registered trademark owed by The Coca-Cola Company. [5]
· The scent of PLAY-DOH® putty is a registered trademark owned by Hasbro. [6]
Think about each of the above examples. Without seeing a brand name, the average consumer may instantly know the brand owner merely by seeing the associated color, sound, or shape, or smelling the associated scent. That’s a trademark!
Our posts for non-traditional trademarks always include a symbol to help indicate the type of non-traditional trademark being discussed. It will typically be obvious, but feel free to refer back to the below legend if you are ever in doubt!
Eager to learn more? Check out our posts on 5 More Key Facts About Trademarks, What’s a Trademark?, and US TM Registration Process.
Copyright © 2025 by Illustrated IP, LLC. All rights reserved.
[1] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,184,128, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=2184128&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch; USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,359,351, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=2359351&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch.
[2] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,416,794, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=2416794&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch.
[3] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,416,795, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=2416795&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch; USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 5,176,498, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=5176498&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch.
[4] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 3,411,881, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=3411881&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch.
[5] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 696,147, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=696147&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch.
[6] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 5,467,089, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=5467089&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch.